Crime-solving Rabbi Small retires from the synagogue only to find himself hard at work on a beguiling murder case After three decades of dealing with temple politics and getting involved with more than a handful of murder investigations, Rabbi David Small is ready to retire from his synagogue in the cozy Boston suburb of Barnard's Crossing. For years, his secret desire has been to permanently take up teaching, but when he finally leaves the synagogue to pursue that dream, life at a university proves more dangerous than he thought. Late at night, a notoriously ambitious college professor dies in a car wreck. The academic had been drinking heavily, but evidence suggests that the crash might not have been an accident. The local police are stumped and enlist the only detective they know whose astute eye and quick mind come from a higher power: Rabbi Small.

Rabbi Small is drawn into a deadly conflict between religious extremists in this riveting mystery Retired millionaire Barney Berkowitz, from the small Massachusetts town of Barnard's Crossing, invites Rabbi David Small to come to Israel and bar mitzvah him, as Berkowitz never went through the ceremony in his youth. On what should be a joyous occasion—and an all-expenses-paid trip to the Holy Land—the rabbi discovers danger lurking in every corner and a conspiracy that threatens to destroy the state of Israel. An innocent American has been murdered and when the sleuthing rabbi begins his investigation, he finds the death may have been part of an international conspiracy fueled by religious radicals and an arms-smuggling scheme. Anyone, from a liberal Jewish-American professor to a young religious fundamentalist, could be a suspect—and the rabbi must rely on his Talmudic logic and daring chutzpah to untangle the mystery and prevent an even...

The act seemed innocent enough: A purse left behind and an acquaintance takes it so that he can return it. But when the woman is murdered, the man with the purse becomes the prime suspect. Rabbi David Small, a new member and leader of Barnard's Crossing's Jewish community, has few friends he can turn to for help. Fortunately, Talmudic logic is a weapon that cuts through all misunderstandings. Rabbi Small must clear his name by helping a skeptical police force to find the real killer.Published in 1964, Harry Kemmelman's "Friday the Rabbi Slept Late" mystery launched the Rabbi Small mystery series and won an Edgar Award for Best First Mystery Novel. The religious bent of the title caused its success to surprise many. Friday the Rabbi Slept Late kicked off a series of books and television adaptations. Before writing Friday, the Rabbi Slept Late, Harry Kemelman had written a mystery story "The Nine Mile Walk" which is widely considered one of the best mystery stories ever written...

Rabbi David Small takes a sabbatical from the Barnard's Crossing's pulpit to teach a course on Jewish thought at a small community college. But he soon discovers that all is not as idyllic as it seems behind the ivy-covered walls. When a bomb explodes in the dean's office, the otherwise peaceful campus is shattered and everyone—from professors and students to the tireless rabbi himself—is suspected of murder.ABOUT THE AUTHORHarry Kemelman has a B.A. from Boston University and an M.A. in English philology from Harvard. Kemelman taught at a number of schools before World War II and during the war, Kemelman worked as a wage administrator for the United States Army Transportation Corps in Boston and later, for the War Assets Administration. It was after that war that Kemelman became a freelance writer and private businessman.He began his writing career by writing short stories for Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine featuring New England college professor Nicky...

A member of Rabbi Small's congregation dies a mysterious death during the worst hurricane Barnard's Crossing has experienced in years. But when the suspect turns out to be a likable albeit troubled young man, Rabbi Small comes to his aid—fully immersing himself in a decidedly non-kosher mystery that involves prescription drugs, real-estate shenanigans and possibly a pre-meditated murder.ABOUT THE AUTHORHarry Kemelman has a B.A. from Boston University and an M.A. in English philology from Harvard. Kemelman taught at a number of schools before World War II and during the war, Kemelman worked as a wage administrator for the United States Army Transportation Corps in Boston and later, for the War Assets Administration. It was after that war that Kemelman became a freelance writer and private businessman.He began his writing career by writing short stories for Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine featuring New England college professor Nicky Welt, the first of which, The...

Rabbi Small comes out of retirement to solve his final case Retired from his job at the synagogue in Barnard's Crossing, Massachusetts, Rabbi Small now teaches Judaic studies at a Boston college. Finally able to enjoy theological contemplation without the annoyance of temple politics, the rabbi is shocked when one of his colleagues is found dead in his car—and the clues at the scene point to murder. The deceased English professor was notoriously selfish and held long-standing grudges against other members of the faculty, so the list of suspects is long. But when the rabbi who took over Small's position in Barnard's Crossing is implicated, it falls to Small to clear his name and find the true killer, one last time.

The answer to the prayers of mystery fans everywhere? A Rabbi Small mystery - full of the wit and wisdom, persistence and chutzpah that put the Rabbi on bestseller lists every day of the week! Ever since he made his debut in FRIDAY THE RABBI SLEPT LATE, the adventures of Rabbi Small have been hailed by critics and fans. And now new fans and old can enjoy the hair-raising tales and unparalleled logic of one of the world's most unusual sleuths.

A puzzling murder draws Rabbi Small into the unseemly world of local politics Since becoming the rabbi at the synagogue in Barnard's Crossing, Massachusetts, David Small has seen his congregation through a fair share of unholy bickering and corruption. So when millionaire Howard Magnuson is elected president of the synagogue, the rabbi isn't surprised that Magnuson wants to bring corporate efficiency to the temple—at the expense of religious tradition. Conflict flares when Rabbi Small refuses, on the basis of temple rules, to officiate the interfaith wedding of Magnuson's daughter to a non-Jewish Boston politician, and the new president calls for the rabbi's dismissal. When another player in Boston politics is killed in a hit-and-run accident and the police suspect a Jewish college student, Rabbi Small fears the undergrad might have been set up—and that Magnuson is involved. The young man's innocence and the future of the temple depend on...

On Sunday, Rabbi David Small uncovers a Passover plot than undeniably raises more than Four Questions—threatening to ruin not only his holiday seder but his role as leader of Bernard's Crossing's Jewish community. But there's no time to appeal to a Higher Source when one of his temple board members, a businessman, is rumored to be pushing drugs and all the facts point to a group of teenagers as accessories—to murder.ABOUT THE AUTHORHarry Kemelman has a B.A. from Boston University and an M.A. in English philology from Harvard. Kemelman taught at a number of schools before World War II and during the war, Kemelman worked as a wage administrator for the United States Army Transportation Corps in Boston and later, for the War Assets Administration. It was after that war that Kemelman became a freelance writer and private businessman.He began his writing career by writing short stories for Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine featuring New England college professor...

It's Monday and Rabbi David Small is ready to embark on a private exodus to Israel for some much needed rest and respite. But as usual, trouble follows the Rabbi. While his congregation back home is busy plotting his dismissal, the Rabbi has other things to worry about—an incident involving a young American student, Israeli Intelligence, and a group of Arab terrorists who have murder on their minds.ABOUT THE AUTHORHarry Kemelman has a B.A. from Boston University and an M.A. in English philology from Harvard. Kemelman taught at a number of schools before World War II and during the war, Kemelman worked as a wage administrator for the United States Army Transportation Corps in Boston and later, for the War Assets Administration. It was after that war that Kemelman became a freelance writer and private businessman.He began his writing career by writing short stories for Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine featuring New England college professor Nicky Welt, the first of...

Had the murder victim not been such a notorious anti-semite, Rabbi Small might never have become involved. But when several members of his congregation become suspects, Rabbi Small is forced to match wits with the killer.ABOUT THE AUTHORHarry Kemelman has a B.A. from Boston University and an M.A. in English philology from Harvard. Kemelman taught at a number of schools before World War II and during the war, Kemelman worked as a wage administrator for the United States Army Transportation Corps in Boston and later, for the War Assets Administration. It was after that war that Kemelman became a freelance writer and private businessman.He began his writing career by writing short stories for Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine featuring New England college professor Nicky Welt, the first of which, "The Nine Mile Walk", is considered a classic. He was the creator of one of the most famous religious sleuths, Rabbi David Small—the key figure in his Rabbi series.

Eight stories of murder, starring one of the most brilliant armchair detectives of all time from the author of the Rabbi Small Mysteries Before creating the widely popular Jewish sleuth Rabbi Small, Harry Kemelman authored a series of short stories featuring another quick-witted and wisecracking amateur sleuth: college professor Nicky Welt. Collected in The Nine Mile Walk, the Nicky Welt stories are a mix of ingenious logic puzzles and brilliant detective work, revealing that Kemelman has always been a master of the genre. In the collection's title story, Welt overhears a simple phrase: "A nine mile walk is no joke, especially in the rain," and from this evidence alone he not only figures out that a crime is about to be committed, but also realizes how to stop it. Whether chasing a kidnapper or puzzling over a dead man's chessboard, Welt is armed with the most powerful weapon on earth: the human mind.